Jack is Back
by total-whovian
Summary: This is my take on what is going to happen tonight with Jack showing up at the condo. I hope you all enjoy it! The rating is for language.
1. Chapter 1

**Jack is Back**

**Author's Note:** This is a fic for Debbie and all Shandy Shippers out there, and a special thank you to Arianna for helping me develop the story and for looking over it for me. I hope you all like this. Please read and review Enjoy

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of MC or the characters.

Sharon looked at her watch as she sat in traffic, waiting to get back home to Rusty and hopefully feel a bit better about today. She had to read Julio his rights in order to protect him from IA, but she could see the look of shock and hurt that crossed his features. He was not happy with her, nobody was, but she knew how IA worked and she just hoped that they would see that this was for the best. She glanced down at her watch again and huffed in frustration. LA traffic sucked.

**At The Condo…**

He should have left the house a couple of minutes ago, but he was running late. Rusty was getting ready to put dinner in the oven and set the table when there was a frantic pounding on the door. He knew that Sharon was due home in about half an hour and they weren't expecting any visitors until later, so this was confusing. Setting the pan on top of the stove, Rusty wiped his hands on a nearby towel and headed towards the door. The banging was still persistent and Rusty was getting fed up.

"Yeah, I heard you," he mumbled, "I'm coming. If only people could learn some patience."

Rusty reached the door and looked through the peep hole. Standing on the other side of the door was Jackson Raydor and he was not happy. Rusty debated whether or not to open the door, but when Jack resumed his banging he had to open it.

"Jack," Rusty said swinging the door open, "Sharon is not here, so if you are waiting to like yell at her, it's not going to happen."

"Well, isn't that convenient," Jack sneered, "and she accused me of being the neglectful one…Tell me Rusty, you wouldn't happen to know why both of my children seem to have completely drawn away from me halfway through the holidays?"

"Jack, why don't you ask your children? You know, ask them directly instead of going around the situation," Rusty replied sarcastically before a distinct scent caught his attention, "Is that alcohol? Have you been drinking, Jack?"

"Why the hell does that matter!" Jack yelled, turning on him, "You are not my wife, and neither is Sharon anymore! If I want to indulge in a few drinks, then I can."

"Sharon is not going to be happy, Jack," Rusty said, cautiously looking towards the front door, while silently praying that Sharon would walk through it.

"Yeah well, screw Sharon and her beliefs. She preaches her Catholic systems, but what was she following when she was screwing that Lieutenant of hers, while we were still married?!"

Rusty quickly looked at Jack at the mention of Flynn and Sharon. _He doesn't realize how wrong he is. _Jack seemed to take his glance the wrong way however, and a maniacal glee settled on within him.

"I know all about her relationship with _Andy_," Jack said slowly approaching Rusty, "all of their outings and gentle touches…and I have pictures to prove it. She can deny it all she wants, but I have got her and her screw buddy for fraternization within the work place and her on infidelity."

Rusty was sure his mouth was hitting the ground as he took in everything Jack the jackass had just said.

"Sharon was not having an affair, Jack," Rusty gasped, "She had nothing but respect for the marriage. She honored it, and I am surprised she didn't get rid of you sooner considering the way you've treated her! I'm pretty sure you were the one that went out and like…messed around, yet Sharon stayed married to you."

"_She _stayed married to _me_?" Jack scoffed, "_I _had to stay married to _her_! She is the Ice Queen that everybody hated to interact with, and I was married to that!"

Rusty could feel the anger that was boiling inside of him, and he had to fight hard not to punch Jack.

"Sharon's job required that people not like her! She was the one that had to do all of the hard stuff to make sure that everyone was safe! Plus, didn't she take that job to put you through school and pay off all of the debt that you left her with?! She may not talk about it a lot Jack, but I know what addicts do to their families. You were the one who screwed around and hurt her, and she continued to raise your children, pay your debts, and take you back. She tried to patch the relationship that you were so keen on avoiding, so don't you think for one minute that I am going to listen to you bad mouth my mom!"

Jack looked taken aback by Rusty's defense of Sharon, and even more so to his use of 'mom.' Closing in on Rusty, Jack grabbed his upper arms and threw him to the ground before standing over him.

"She has you wrapped around her finger. You think that she is a saint and that everything she does is perfect. Well guess what, that bitch is far from perfect!" Jack reached down to grab the front of Rusty's shirt, "She is not your mother either. She will never love you the way she loves _my_ children…"

**Meanwhile…**

Sharon adjusted her purse on her shoulder after digging around for her keys. Her feet were aching and she could feel a headache coming on, but she would be drawing up a bath soon enough. As she approached her door, she could hear Rusty's raised voice and if that wasn't enough to alarm her, Jack's voice following quickly after, made her jump into action. Thrusting her keys into the lock, she threw the door open to find Rusty on the ground and Jack above him shouting.

"Jackson Raydor!" Sharon yelled, "If you do not let my son go this instant, I swear I will charge you with breaking and entering and assault!"

Jack instantly let go of Rusty and whipped around to face his ex-wife.

"He let me in Shar-on," Jack huffed, using the annunciation of her name he knew she hated, "You can't get me on that. Plus, I was just helping the kid up-"

"Jack," Darth- Raydor appeared, "I don't know why you are in my home, but you are not welcome and you need to leave now."

After seeing the subtle change from Sharon to IA Raydor, Jack almost gave in and fled the condo right then and there. Almost. Reason and decency had no room in his alcohol and rage filled body.

"I want to know why you sent our _actual_ children to go snooping where they don't belong. Over the Holidays, I noticed that some things went missing from my place, and Emily seemed to be avoiding the situation," Jack said looking back at Rusty on the ground, "This street kid may be a bad influence on our children, and I tried telling Ricky that, but he always was a mama's boy."

"Jack," Sharon said, bunching her hands into fists at her sides, "If you think that I am going to let you treat Rusty like you have treated me for the better part of 30 years, I hope you don't mind being shot. I can smell the alcohol on your breath and I am not going to give you the chance to give me some half-hearted excuse as to why you started drinking again. You need to leave, now."

Sharon pushed past Jack to help Rusty up from the ground. She was suddenly yanked back by Jack's hands on her waist. Turning into him quickly, Sharon shoved his arms away from her and stepped back towards Rusty.

"You don't get to touch me, Jack!" Sharon growled.

"I can do whatever the hell I want! You are the bitch who sent the kids to spy on me, all so you could take them away. Then you sneak off with that Lieutenant, while we were still happily married, and suddenly you want a divorce. Tell me that had nothing-"

Sharon put up a hand to stop him, "You can honestly say that we were _happily_ married? Because I know that it was more out of obligation and memories of the first couple of years that kept me married to you. I never regretted marrying you, Jack. We got Emily and Ricky out of it, and even Rusty because of the way things turned out, but I do regret not realizing that I was nothing to you until recently."

Jack rolled his eyes and threw up his hands, waiting for her to continue.

"I did NOT send the kids to spy on you, but do you remember the promise I made to you?" Sharon asked waiting till Jack nodded, "I never meant that I would take your children away from you. I knew that if you started drinking again, you would never see your kids again because you would ruin the already fragile relationship you had with them by drinking again."

"As far as what is going on between Lieutenant Flynn and myself, we are just friends. We have helped each other through some hard times and we found that we enjoy each other's company. I don't know if it is the alcohol or the aftermath of the divorce that has you seeking for something that is not there, but I'm done. We are done, and you need to leave."

Everyone stayed silent for a few tense moments. Rusty was still propped on his elbows on the floor while Sharon and Jack stared at each other. As if suddenly losing all the fight that he had in him, Jack expelled a large breath and turned towards the door. Reaching the table near the open door, Jack reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a manila envelope.

"These don't look like outings between just friends," he said without looking behind him, "I can show myself out."

Sharon watched as Jack walked out of the condo and closed the door behind him. She looked at the envelope he left before turning back to her son. Looking down at him she could see a bit of guilt shinning in his eyes.

"Rusty, none of this is your fault, okay?" She bent down to offer him a hand and help him off the floor.

"I let him in, Sharon," he said looking at the floor while dusting off his pants, "I tried so hard not to punch him when he was bad mouthing you…I kind of wish I had hit him."

Hiding a laugh behind her hand, she reached out to touch his shoulder and encourage him to look at her, "I had to fight the urge not to shoot him when I walked in to find him standing over you."

Both of them shared a few shy smiles and a small hug before their gazes fell upon Jack's parting gift. Sharon slowly walked over to it before picking it up and turning it over in her hands.

"He said…Well, he said," Rusty hesitated before deciding to just tell her, "he said he had pictures to prove that you and Flynn were together."

Peeling back the lip of the envelope, Sharon saw several photos tucked inside. Pulling out the first few, Sharon gasped at the images of her and Andy sitting across from each other at one of their usual restaurants. Her hand was resting on his on top of the table, her head was thrown back in laughter and Andy was grinning at her like a fool. The next couple of photos depicted the rest of the night and ended with them getting out of Andy's car with his arm around her as they walked into her condominium.

Setting them down, she pulled out another few and saw pictures of them walking around the boardwalk. They had gone down there to look for a present for Nicole for her birthday, and something for Rusty's graduation. They had finished their shopping and were walking close, laughing and smiling. Then she saw ones from when they had decided to walk along the beach. The last one was of them sitting in the sand with his coat around her shoulders and her head inches from his shoulder.

"Sharon?" Rusty said softly, "are you alright?"

Turning around, she realized that she must have let out a gasp because Rusty looked concerned. She also noticed that tears were welling in her eyes.

"I'm fine, honey," she assured, turning back towards the pictures now splayed out on the table, "I just realized that you and Nicole were right, and in a way, so was Jack."

"What do you m-," Rusty stopped abruptly when he heard a knock at the door.

"It's alright," Sharon said, going over to the door with the photos in her hand, "Jack may be drunk, but he wouldn't be stupid enough to come back."

Suddenly, Rusty remembered who was at the door. He was supposed to be out of the condo so they could talk. He really messed up, but it was too late. Sharon was already at the door.

"Andy?" Sharon gasped, looking at the man on the other side of the door. He had on the same suit from today, but he was holding flowers in his hand.

"Hey," he said, concern caressing his face, and settling in the wrinkles now present on his forehead, "what's wrong? What are those?"

Looking from his face down to the photos in her hand, Sharon could only shake her head.

"I'm fine. What are you doing here?" She asked giving him a small smile.

"I was hoping that we could talk-" Andy started before being cut off by Rusty.

"I was supposed to be out of the condo, but I forgot," he said gesturing around the living room, "I can leave now if you want?"

"No," Sharon said, "what do you mean you were 'supposed to be out of the condo'?"

"Ah, that was my bad," Andy said from behind her, "I wanted to surprise you and be able to sit down and talk where you were comfortable. I texted Rusty and asked him for his help."

"Yeah, and I messed that up by staying here and letting Jack…" Rusty trailed off not quite sure what to say.

"Jack was here?" Andy practically yelled.

Placing her hand on his shoulder, Sharon tried to calm him down.

"Andy, it's alright," she said looking down at the flowers he was holding in his hands, "Are those for me?"

Suddenly remembering the lilies in his hand, "Ah, yeah. I saw them earlier today and thought of you. I know you said you liked the ones at Nicole's wedding, so…I bought them."

Smiling to herself, Sharon took the offered flowers and walked into the kitchen to look for a vase. Andy looked over at Rusty who was guiltily looking at the ground.

"Hey kid," Andy said hoping to get his attention, "Whatever happened, it wasn't your fault. Jack can be a real jackass when he wants to be. He had no right to show up here…What exactly happened?"

Rusty looked towards the kitchen where Sharon was still trying to get the flowers set up.

"He just started pounding on the door and I let him in to try to get him to stop. He came in and started yelling and telling me that I was not Sharon's kid and she would never have the same feelings that she did of her own children-" Rusty said a bit nervous.

"Whoa," Andy interrupted, "Whatever Jack said was nothing but his version of manipulation. You and I both know that Sharon loves you just as much as she loves Ricky and Emily and she would fight anybody who tried to say otherwise."

"I know," Rusty said, "but I should have just left him out there until he left."

"Rusty, look at me," Andy said softly, "Nobody here is going to blame you for what happened tonight. If you had left him out there, he probably would have found a way in or waited until Sharon got here to be let in. None of this was your fault."

"He is right, sweetheart," Sharon added walking back into the living room to join them, "Jack is the type of person who will make everyone feel like crap just to feel better about how he feels. He wants everyone to share in his misery, whether he is sober or drunk."

Andy quickly looks to Sharon at her last statement, "He was drunk?"

Sighing, Sharon led Andy into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"Yes. He was drunk and believed that I was behind Ricky and Emily snooping in his life. He said a few things that I didn't agree with, but I think he knew that it was useless to try to fight me."

"Are both of you okay?" Andy looked between the two of them, scanning for any obvious injuries.

"Oh my god, Rusty! I didn't even ask you if he hurt you! You were on the ground, but I have no idea how you got there," Sharon got up and rushed over to him, checking him for anything.

"I'm fine, Sharon," Rusty reassured, gently laughing, "He just pushed me to the ground, that was it."

Sharon seemed to believe him, but she continued to fuss with his clothing and fixing his hair. Andy was looking at something on the coffee table and it appeared he was about to either throw something or hug somebody. That's when Rusty realized that Sharon had left the pictures on the table when she approached him.

"Uh, Sharon," Andy called from where he was standing, "Where did these pictures come from?"

"Oh," She gasped looking back at Andy, "Jack gave them to me. There are more over there. I think he had us followed to try to prove my infidelity while we were married."

"Why would he think that?! He is the one that fooled around with-," he stopped when he met her eyes. He knew that she was not stupid, but that didn't mean that she wanted to be reminded of it.

"After looking at a few of them, I can see why he was worried," she chuckled.

"I'm going to just go to my room," Rusty said, "you guys need to talk, and after what happened, I could use some sleep. Goodnight and I am sorry I ruined your plans, Andy."

"No worries, kid. I'm glad that you are alright."

"Goodnight, honey. I'm sorry you had to deal with Jack," Sharon said as he walked down the hall.

Hearing the door to his room close, Sharon went over to Andy and motioned for him to sit down with her on the couch. She took a hold of one of his hands and brought it to her lap.

"Andy, after the conversation we had with Rusty and Nicole a couple of weeks ago, I know that I have been a bit distant. I hadn't really thought about the way that others might have been viewing our 'non-dates,' but I think part of that was my fault," Sharon looked into his eyes before continuing, "I didn't want to face the fact that something could be happening, because I didn't think it could. After everything that happened with Jack, I thought I was done with romance and love.

"When I saw those pictures, I realized that we had been going on dates, and the only reason they weren't dates was because you are a gentleman and I was scared. I came to accept that after Rusty brought attention to it, but it wasn't until I saw those that I realized I wanted to have a relationship with you. I want to be able to say that I am going out with you and I want to be able to curl up with you and relax after a long day. I want to be able to steal a hug or even a kiss from you at work when nobody is looking or when we both need it."

"Good, because as much as I love being there for you as your friend," he said moving closer to her, " I would really love to be there for you all the time."

Sharon quirked her eyebrow at this, "I thought I wasn't your 'type.' I'm not a leggy, 20 something blonde looking for a one time deal."

Andy shook his head and made sure to look her in the eye, "I stopped dating those types of girls when you showed up. I realized I didn't want those types of trysts anymore, and I realized it was because I was hooked on you. I only had eyes for you. You were the one I was trying to impress and get to notice me. You were, and still are, the one that I try to stare at as you walk by. Your beautiful legs, hair, eyes, smile…everything about you is beautiful, and I wanted to be next to you every moment possible. You were my every thought when I was trying to get you to like me."

"What about now?" Sharon asked, a smile slowly taking over her face, "What am I to you now?"

"Everything," Andy replied, leaning in to place his lips on hers.

They were lost in the kiss with her hands sliding from his to find the back of his head, and his circling her waist for a few blissful minutes. When the need for air became too much, they broke apart only to rest their foreheads against each other. They leaned back against the couch and Sharon cuddled into Andy's side. They would have to deal with Jack and the photos later, and the team and Taylor would have to be informed, but that could all wait for tomorrow.


	2. Facing the Crowd

**Jack is Back**

**Author's Note:** This is a fic for all the Shandy Shippers out there, and a special thank you to usagi636 I hope you all like this. Please read and review Enjoy

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of MC or the characters.

**Facing the Crowd**

Sharon woke up to find that she had fallen asleep on the couch, or more precisely, she had fallen asleep on Andy and they were both still on the couch. She smiled when she heard him snore a bit and then inhale deeply. She could hear the steady thump of his heart beat and she was glad that they had decided to go for it. Andy made her feel comfortable and happy, something that had been missing with Jack for years. She thought back to last night and what had happened. Andy had seemed so worried and concerned for not only her, but Rusty as well. He truly cared for the two of them.

She feels him start to stir beneath her, so she snuggled closer to him. His arms circled her waist even tighter and pulled her flush against him. He slowly opened his eyes and she a mass of red hair resting on his chest. Leaning down a bit, Andy placed a long, soft kiss atop her hair and smiled. He finally had her. He could finally hold, kiss, and love her openly every hour of every day. They were finally together.

"Good morning, beautiful," Andy smiled down at her as her sleepy eyes met his.

"Hmmm," Sharon hummed as she crawled up his chest to lightly kiss his lips, "It is a great morning."

"Yes, it is. I could definitely get used to waking up to you," Andy held her against him and kissed her again.

Sharon smiled and brought her hand up to run her fingers through his short hair. It was soft and tousled from sleeping and their activities from the last night. Andy watched the blush start from her neck and work its way up into her cheeks. He chuckled a bit as he pondered what she must be thinking about. Bringing one of his hands to her neck, he brushed her hair to one side and continued to trace her throat. He followed a vein to the underside of her chin. Tracing the line of her jawbone, he brought his hand to rest on her cheek. He looked into her eyes shining and felt his heart jump.

"You really are beautiful, Sharon," he whispered.

Instead of responding, Sharon kissed him once more and then rested her head on his chest.

"Thank you, Andy," she said softly into his chest.

"It's true," he shrugged.

"No, I mean thank you for everything," she laughed, "For setting up a time for us to talk. For giving me time to think about us…for being here for Rusty and me and making sure that we were okay."

He brushed his hand lightly through her hair as they just laid there. He was glad that they were both okay after Jack's unexpected visit. It had scared the hell out of him to find out that Jack had shown up drunk while Rusty was home alone. Andy knew that Sharon was used to Jack's antics, but Rusty was different. Jack probably saw this whole divorce as Rusty's fault, and Jack could be a real ass when he wanted to be. He would rip into anybody if he felt they deserved it, which meant Rusty had to endure his drunken rage. Andy knew the kid would berate himself for letting Jack in, so he would have to think of something to get Rusty's mind off of things. Maybe he could take them to the beach?

"So now you guys are sleeping together?" Rusty's voice startled them out of their thoughts, "I thought you weren't dating?"

Sharon was off the couch immediately, smoothing out the wrinkles in her skirt and blouse.

"We…uh um…well, I-we fell asleep and didn't think about-" Sharon was bumbling over every other word as her cheeks colored to match her auburn locks.

Rusty laughed as he watched his adoptive mother struggle to speak, "Sharon, I was joking! It's fine, really. I just wanted to mess with you, and Flynn thought it was funny!"

Sharon whipped around to see Andy trying to hide his laughter as he tucked his shirt into his pants. His shaking shoulders gave him away and soon he was letting out a full belly laugh that had her knees weakening almost instantly. She could see that customary boyish grin spread across his face, so she reached out and lightly slapped his arm.

"You are supposed to be on my side," Sharon said trying to act hurt, but failing miserably.

"I am," Andy smirk, rubbing his arm, "but you have to admit that it is an amusing situation."

"Well, I am glad that the two of you find this amusing," she replied rolling her eyes at her two boys.

"Hey," Rusty interjected, "I hardly ever get the chance to tease you. You are like…Captain Perfect or something. I'm sure I will have plenty of things to tease Flynn and Lieutenant Provenza about, but I never had anything on you until you two started _not dating_."

Sharon felt Andy come up behind her and circle her waist with his arms. It felt great to be able to lean back into his strong embrace.

"He's right," Andy said softly into her ear, "Provenza and I sure screw up a lot. Plus, you sure are adorable when you get flustered."

That earned him a slap on his wrist and a disgusted groan from Rusty.

"Okay," Rusty said, "I am going to get out of this room and hopefully avoid any more gooey stuff."

"Sorry Rusty," Sharon apologized as she broke from Andy's embrace, "but weren't you the one that kept bringing up our relationship?" she teased.

"Yeah, yeah, okay. I did, and I am glad that the two of you obviously worked it out, but that does not mean that I have to be comfortable with seeing my mother romantically active."

Sharon just laughed and ruffled his hair, which Rusty dodged, and then pulled him into a hug. She whispered a quick 'thank you' before she pulled away slightly to look at him smiling back.

"Why don't the two of you start to get ready for the day and I will make breakfast," Andy called over his shoulder as he moved into the kitchen.

"I'll help," Rusty said before turning to Sharon, "Why don't you take a shower while I make sure Flynn doesn't light the kitchen on fire."

"Hey! I can cook just fine, thank you!" Andy yelled from the kitchen.

Sharon bent her head trying hard not to laugh and Rusty just rolled his eyes before proceeding to the kitchen. Shaking her head, Sharon took one more look in their direction before she went down the hall to her bedroom. In the kitchen, Andy started making eggs and bacon with toast. Rusty watched him for a bit before deciding he was ready to talk to him.

"Flynn?"

"What's up, kid?"

"I uh…was wondering if I could ask you something."

"Sure," Andy said, turning to fully face Rusty.

"This is more of a question that Ricky, Emily and I came up with," Rusty seemed to hesitate before he looked Andy in the eye, "How do you _really_ feel about Sharon? Cause after everything that she went through with Jack, we really don't want to see her get hurt again. She cares about you a lot, Andy, and it took her a while to open up to that. We want to know that you are going to be here no matter what."

Andy let out a barely audible sigh before he answered, "Rusty, I can promise you that I would never intentionally hurt Sharon. I know what she has been through with Jack and I could never do anything like that to her. I care for her, Rusty. In fact I think I may be in love with her. I have loved every minute that I have spent with her, and every time she opened up to me I got to see a little piece of her that just made her even more beautiful to me."

"So is that why you let Nicole think that you two were dating?" Rusty asked cautiously.

"I was being an idiot. I wanted to believe that somebody as wonderful and amazing as Sharon would be interested in me, and when Nicole said how much she liked her, I didn't want to have to break my own little fantasy. I know that I should have told Sharon what was going on, but I couldn't. I didn't want to scare her away and lose our friendship and our time together."

Rusty smiled and nodded, "Just to be clear, if you ever hurt her, you will be out of here before you can even say you're sorry. Plus, you will have a pissed Emily and Ricky to fight as well."

"I could never hurt her," Andy whispered, "but promise me something."

"Yeah?" Rusty watched as the Lieutenant stood up straighter.

"If I ever hurt her," Andy paused as if the idea was too appalling to even think about, "I want you to make sure my ass is out that door."

Rusty nodded, "I don't think we have anything to worry about then…She is happier when you are around, Flynn."

"She has made me happier than I have felt in a while," a small smile made its way onto his face, "Sharon is completely out of my league, but as long as she will have me, I will never leave her side."

A small gasp drew their attention to the subject of their conversation, who was now standing just in the entry of the kitchen. If the tears in her eyes were anything to go by, she had heard a good chunk of their conversation.

"Sharon, I-" Andy began before she put a hand up to silence him.

She slowly approached Rusty first, "I can't tell you how much it means to me to hear that you are looking out for me. You are truly amazing, Rusty, and I thank God every day that you are here."

She pulled him into a gentle hug that Rusty immediately returned. They stayed like this for a while, just holding each other, and Andy wished he had a camera to capture the rare moment between mother and son. When they pulled back, Sharon brushed her thumb across his cheek before turning to Andy. She came up to him and placed her hands on his chest, playing with the tie around his neck.

"Andrew Flynn," Sharon said looking at his warm brown eyes, "don't ever think that you aren't good enough for me, do you understand?" she waited until he nodded before she continued, "You make me feel like a teenager again. I never laugh more than when I am with you. I feel like I am floating on cloud nine when you take me out to dinner or we are sitting next to each other in a dark theater. I feel safe and comfortable around you, something I haven't felt around most men in a while. So I better never catch you doubting yourself."

Andy nodded again and pulled her to him. He could feel that her hair was still a bit damp from the shower, and her shampoo made her smell like jasmine. She was wearing the light blue dress and grey cardigan that he loved on her, and without her heels her head fit perfectly under his chin. He didn't want to break the moment by bring up the fact that he wasn't all that different from Jack, so he kept his mouth shut and decided to wait for another time.

Rubbing her back, Andy pushed off of the counter and looked down at her, "Breakfast is ready, so why don't you set the table with Rusty and I will grab our drinks, okay?"

Nodding, Sharon disentangled herself from his arms and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. She grabbed the silverware out of a nearby drawer, Rusty placed the placemats and plates down, and Andy grabbed two mugs of coffee and a glass of orange juice. Soon they were all sitting around the table, Sharon and Andy holding each other's hands on top of the table.

"When we go in today, I will ask Taylor if I can talk to him," Sharon announced, "I will fill out all of the necessary paperwork and then hopefully I will be able to tell you how it goes before-"

"Why don't I go in with you?" Andy stopped her, "You don't have to do this alone. I mean we are both involved."

She seemed to hesitate for a minute before she replied, "Are you sure?"

"Of course!" Andy said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze, "Plus, I might be able to calm him down a bit. We've known each other for a while, so it might help to have me there."

Suddenly, Sharon burst out laughing. Her whole upper body was bent over the table and he could hear her start to snort. He looked to Rusty for help, only to see that he was also laughing like a maniac.

"What?!" he asked confused, looking between Sharon and Rusty.

"You really think having one of the department's troublemakers in his office is going to calm him down?" Rusty chuckled, "If he has known you for a while, then he has had to deal with you for a while too, right?"

"Well, yeah," Andy began, now realizing that it might be better for Sharon to go in alone, "but I still want to be able to help."

After getting her breathing under control, Sharon grabbed his other hand, "I know you do, but maybe you could help me tell the team. I will tell Taylor and after I brief you about our meeting you can help me decided how and when to tell the team."

"Okay, but I think it might be easier for me to tell Taylor than to tell Provenza," Andy chuckled.

"Well, we can always tease him about Patrice," Sharon grinned.

"Whoa!" Rusty exclaimed, jumping out of his chair, "What have you done to her, Flynn? She is scheming! She is actually considering using information against somebody for _fun_."

He ducked as a napkin came flying his way. Sharon was shaking her head with a smile on her face and Andy was giving him a thumbs-up. If this was the way that mornings were going to be from now on, he thought he could get used to it.

**At the Office…**

Sharon and Andy had taken her car, but he had insisted on driving them. When they arrived, he helped her out of the car before she kissed him lightly on the lips. She wanted one more piece of assurance before she had to face their boss. Before they knew it, they were stepping out of the elevator on their floor. Andy gave her hand a quick reassuring squeeze, and they parted ways. Sharon reached Taylor's office and knocked on the closed door.

"Come in," Taylor called out without looking up from the files on his desk.

"Chief," Sharon said as she closed the door behind her, "Do you have a moment?"

"Ah, Captain Raydor. What can I do for you?" Taylor looked up and gestured to a seat in front of his desk.

"I need to talk to you about filing the proper paperwork to ensure that Lieutenant Flynn's evaluations and inquiries will be handled by Lieutenant Provenza."

Taylor looked at her from above her glasses. Sharon remained silent and still as she waited for the onslaught of questions, but what surprised her was the grin that came across his face.

"So I take it you two finally figured things out?" Taylor said while removing his glasses and setting them on the desk.

"Chief? What do you mean-" Sharon stopped mid-sentence.

_He knew! Did everyone notice this? Am I that blind?_

"When Flynn started acting like a love sick puppy I thought it was just a crush, but when I saw the way you two behaved around each other…I thought I was going to have to file these over a year ago, but I was wrong."

"A _year_ ago?" she looked down at the folder that was already open on his desk.

"When you started to go out with Flynn, I assumed you two were dating and I almost called both of you into my office and demanded an explanation," Taylor voice trailed off as he seemed to be remembering that day.

"What stopped you from calling us in, Chief?" Sharon pushed, "If you thought we were in violation of the fraternization policies, why didn't you reprimand us?"

Chuckling, Taylor answered, "That's just it. Provenza brought it to my attention that if the two of you really were dating, you would have come in here the first chance you got. He said you probably would have given control over to him before you broke a rule. I figured he was right, so I backed off and watched the two of you dance around each other. It was just a matter of time."

Sharon couldn't believe it. This was going a lot better than she thought it would. Here she was thinking she was going to get a lecture about dating a subordinate, when really she was getting an 'it's about time' and the shock of her life. Provenza had defended them, well, her. Smiling, Sharon looked one last time at the files that were awaiting her and Andy's signatures. They were officially together, and this file was the proof. Although it wasn't normal for most people, it was perfect for them.

"I just need your signatures by the end of today, and then I will file everything. You just need to inform Lieutenant Provenza about his new duties, and I will let you guys decide when to tell the team."

With that, Taylor excused her and she walked towards the murder room. All kinds of thoughts were swimming through her head. None of them were bad, in fact they were all about her and Andy and the fact that they were not only together, but they were free to be together. No more worries about our boss finding out, or her marriage to Jack, or Rusty's approval. Everything that once held her back was suddenly gone and it felt as if she were as light as a feather. Walking into the murder room, she couldn't help but smile. Her team seemed to notice her different mood because they were all staring at her as she said good morning to everyone.

She knew she would be able to tell the team now. Seeing Andy made her realize that she wanted everyone to know that they were together. She felt excited, free, and daring…Sharon strode right up to Andy and grabbed him by the collar. They looked into each other's eyes, each asking each other if this was okay. When they were in agreement, Andy brought his lips down to hers. His hands went around her waist and hers went around his neck. They drew apart and just smiled at each other.

In the background, they could hear Provenza grumbling, "It's about time those idiots did something."

Tao turned to Sanchez and said, "You go get the money and I will figure out who won."

TBC…


End file.
